By Alex Webbe
Wins by the Maserati polo team (Lance Vetter, Wesley Finlayson, Guille Usandizaga and Facundo Obregon), The Raleigh (Bash Kazi, John Gobin and Gringo Colombres) and the team from Yellow Cab (Simon Garber, Juan Monteverde and Kris Kampsen) all scored opening wins on the first day of the 2012 Maserati Miami Beach Polo World Cup on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Miami Beach.
The defending championship Raleigh team opened the day with a 9-6 win over Lufthansa Private Jet (Tommy Kato, Craig Pirtle, Jamie Morrison and Luis Escobar).
Colombres scored the first two goals of the day for The Raleigh while Lufthansa Private Jet was shut out offensively. At the end of the first chukker, The Raleigh had a 2-0 advantage.
English 7-goaler Jamie Morrison scored on three penalty shots for Lufthansa Private Jet in the second chukker, but a two-point goal from Gobin and a third goal from Colombres had The Raleigh ahead 5-3 at the end of the first half.
Morrison added another penalty goal and Escobar converted twice from the penalty line. The Raleigh got three more goals from Colombres (once from the field and twice on penalty shots). The Raleigh continued to lead, 8-6.
The Raleigh ratcheted up its defense in the final chukker for shutout play while picking up another goal from Gobin for the 9-6 final.
Colombres led all scoring with six goals. Gobin accounted for three goals in the win. Morrison led the Lufthansa Private Jet attack with four goals, all penalty shots). Escobar converted two penalty shots for goals.
YELLOW CAB 15, GASCON 11
Gascon caught a heavily favored Yellow Cab team off guard in the second game of the day, matching them goal for goal with the first chukker ending in a 4-4 tie. Kampsen displayed his knowledge of the surface with four first chukker goals (three on penalty shots). Lindor Novillo Corvalan converted a penalty shot for a goal and added another goal from the field. George Olivas scored a pair of goals to knot it up.
Yellow Cab charged back into the second chukker with two more penalty goals from Kampsen. Corvalan picked up a single goal for Gascon. A strong Yellow Cab team left the field with a 7-5 advantage.
Corvalan scored two more goals from the field in the fourth and added a penalty goal. Kampsen responded with a goal from the field as well as a two-pointer. After three chukkers, Yellow Cab held a 10-8 lead.
Corvalan cut into the Yellow Cab lead, 10-9, with the opening goal of the fourth chukker. Kampsen responded with three straight goals for a 13-9 Yellow Cab lead. A two-pointer from Corvalan had Gascon trailing 13-11, but that was when yellow Cab took control. Simon Garber and Kampsen closed out the scoring with single goals in the 15-11 victory.
Kampsen led all scoring with 13 goals (five on penalty shots, one two-pointer). Monteverde and Garber added single goals in the win.
Corvalan led the Gascon attack with nine goals (three penalty goals and one two-pointer). Olivas added two goals in a losing effort.
MASERATI 12, HEYS USA/SLS JETS
In the final match of the day, Maserati held on to outlast Heys USA/SLS JETS 12-11 in a game that saw Heys USA score three two-pointers.
Facundo Obregon scored the opening goal of the game for Maserati, but Heys USA picked up a pair of penalty goals from Brandon Phillips. At the end of the first chukker Heys USA led, 2-1.
Maserati showed the horsepower in the second period, shutting down the Heys attack while putting four goals on the scoreboard. A penalty goal from Obregon and three goals from Guille Usandizaga (one penalty goal) gave the momentum to Maserati. The chukker ended with Maserati moving ahead, 5-2.
Phillips added three more penalty goals to the Heys USA total in the third, but Obregon matched him goal for goal (two from the field and one on a penalty shot). Usandizaga added a goal from the field for a 9-5 edge.
Heys USA’s first points from the field came from Roldan in the fourth when he scored a two-pointer. Phillips added two more two-pointers, but a penalty goal from Obregon and a pair of goals from the field from Usandizaga held off the rally for a 12-11 victory.
Usandizaga and Obregon scored six goals apiece for Maserati. Phillips rang up nine points for Heys Luggage. Roldan got credit for two goals on his 2-point goal from the field.
At the end of the first day Maserati, Yellow Cab and The Raleigh had 1-0 records.